Innovation & Startups

Revv Oakland, a city hub for startups and the price is right

Related Tags

Mark Musolino dreamed of creating a community space for entrepreneurs in Oakland, a gathering place for tech startups. But the economics of the idea never added up until recently.

With the help of Oakland Real Estate Co., Musolino opened Revv Oakland. Located in the heart of Oakland at 122 Meyran Ave., the 5000-sq. foot space offers monthly leases for less than one might expect to pay for a bright, airy office with expansive windows, conference and kitchen space.

There's an additional 20,000 sq. feet of space nearby, available for future expansion, he adds.

As the chief scientist of VitalClips, an AlphaLab startup, Musolino was focused on moving his company forward. When Nathan and Henry Schwartz of Oakland Real Estate, owners of the space, approached him, it was a dream come true, he says.

"It turned out we had this shared vision for turning Oakland into a hub for technology companies," he says.

Before he knew it, he had eight startups lined up and moving in: VitalClip, comvibe, moodtraining.com, 8020select, Qualaris, Acrinta and AthleteTrax. Rhiza, which formerly shared space with downtown-bound Maya, is the most recently addition.

"Oakland is the painfully obvious place to have a startup community," says Musolino. "What's great about Oakland while some might disappear, those that grow can move to the additional space within a few blocks."

The project is an experiment to create a gathering place for entrepreneurs, building a community where like-minded individuals can gather who are looking for jobs, investors or to share technology.

The grand opening will be in May. A schedule of programs to be offered is forthcoming.

Related Content

Originally published in March 2006, this Pop City story about Google landing corporate office here is prescient both in its discussion of Pittsburgh's relationship with the tech behemoth and for its reference to 2016 presidential candidate Donald ...